


The Beat of a Heart

by Headphone_Love



Series: Fictober 2018 [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Bass Player Pidge, Concerned Keith (Voltron), Fictober, Frontman Lance, Guitarist Hunk, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Hurt Lance (Voltron), M/M, Minor Lance/Lotor (Voltron), Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Past Relationship(s), Plotbunnies, Protective Hunk (Voltron), Protective Pidge | Katie Holt, Sassy Pidge | Katie Holt, Unhealthy Relationships, drummer keith, past lance/lotor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-18 19:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16523510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Headphone_Love/pseuds/Headphone_Love
Summary: Keith is the new drummer for V-LD and finds out there is more to learn than just some songs for the tour.ORThe band AU for Fictober that is late but like I'm always late so.





	The Beat of a Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Day 2 of Fictober~ 
> 
> This is a snippet, but some disclaimers:  
> If I do continue this, no, Lotor is not a bad guy. Trust me, that isn't the intention and maybe I'll write more to clear his name.  
> This would be endgame Klance with mentions of Past Lancelot.  
> Guitarist Hunk is something I love but there isn't enough of him soooooooo  
> And if I think of anything else, I'll edit it in here. 
> 
> Enjoy the snippet/plot bunny!
> 
> ~HxL

“People like you have  _ no _ imagination.”

Keith could feel his eye twitch at the statement. He inwardly took a breath just like how Shiro had taught him and let it slip from his lips while Lance kept babbling in his ear about what order of songs they should do for the next show. Keith turned to try and get some backup, but Pidge and Hunk were too busy working out a melody of a new song which he had to admit was more important. He turned back to see Lance grinning at him, sighing as he placed his drumsticks down on his lap.

“I have imagination, you’re just insane.”

“Hey!”

As the frontman, Lance sure did have a flair for the dramatic. Keith had not only learned that through researching the band before auditioning but through experience. He had seen Lance nearly being dragged into the crowd, twisting his ankle, blowing his throat out, and even performing while shitfaced drunk. All in all, Keith was shocked the singer wasn’t dead or maimed yet, the idiot having both no luck and all the luck simultaneously.  At their first show together, Keith wholeheartedly believed that Lance was actually insane, but now, he considered him overly passionate. 

Lance loved the music and the fans and wanted to express that, even if it meant getting up on stage in his worst form.

“Besides, if you start off getting lowered down to the stage, by the time you are down, you’ll be dying. We don’t need you passing out on stage,” Keith insisted as he leaned forward. Lance blinked, leaning back with his notebook to his lips. “ _ Again _ .”

Perking up at the mention of the incident, Lance turned red in the face. “It was  _ one _ time! And I apologized for not being careful!” he whined, cheeks puffing out in a way that made it impossible to not want to poke them. Keith held back, though, watching as Lance fiddled with his notebook with his lower lip jutting outward.

He could be such a child off stage.

“But if we do this entrance, then we can exit normally after the confetti and final song. Come in with a bang, go out after getting close to the fans. Doesn’t that sound better than doing this mid-way through the show? I’ll have my energy and have enough time to recuperate before the final song!”

“Why not just hop up from below the stage?” Hunk piped in, Keith never having felt more relief than that moment. 

“From...below?” Lance repeated as if hypnotized, Pidge agreeing with a nod of her head. She swung her legs around, sitting on a speaker with each leg hanging on one side. 

“Yeah, man. You’ve done the suspension before, so being popped from below the stage would be something new,” Pidge said as she shot Keith a look. He returned it with a nod and a relieved part of his lips. “It’ll send you  _ up _ —” she said using her finger to demonstrate as she spoke,”—and then boom!” she finished as she slammed her fist into the nearby table, effectively startling everyone minus Lance. “The first song starts the moment your feet touch the stage. You literally start the show.”

Lance’s eyes lit up,  Keith knowing he was already imagining it. It was a sight to behold when Lance McClain’s mind ran off with an idea. He always took things a step further, planning meticulously to try and make each show consistent yet interesting. The first couple of shows had been rough, as Keith hadn’t understood the need for change. His motto was always ‘don’t fix it if it ain’t broke’, but Lance’s was more along the lines of ‘Bigger, Better, Bolder’. 

It had been one of the biggest reasons for their bickering at first, along with that fact that Lance had some kind of vendetta against him. He would avoid Keith like the plague, only meeting him when Hunk and Pidge were also around, or if they had to record something together. It had been odd, and Keith debated whether he should be offended or not until Hunk had given him a partial explanation.

 

_ Lance is a bit weird with new people, man. Trust me, he really does appreciate you more than he says. He just needs time. _

 

Thankfully, after a night recording together, the two had long since squashed any awkwardness between them. Now, it was harder to remind Lance about personal space. The singer loved showing affection both on and off stage to the band members, something fans seemed to eat right up. 

Lance McClain was a walking contradiction sometimes, but Keith had found it made things much more interesting in the long run. V-LD was definitely a band unlike any other Keith had played for. . 

‘Yeah, no kidding,’ Keith thought to himself as Lance hugged his notebook close to his chest.

“I like it,” Lance spoke, grinning as he stalked over to Pidge and hugged her tightly. She grunted and shoved him into Hunk, who caught the singer with open arms. “Hunk, you big genius,” he praised, Hunk laughing and rubbing the back of his head. 

“Not really a genius, just a concerned friend,” Hunk joked, the door opening as Keith turned to see who it was. He had expected their manager, but instead, a white-haired male stood with an unreadable expression. Pidge turned to look, then Hunk. Lance was the last to realize the newcomer. The moment he met the stranger’s eye, his eyes went wide, smile fading.

“McClain,” the man greeted lowly, nodding his head in his direction. “You look good.”

Lance didn’t speak, lips parting.  No words came out, Lance instead pressing into a thin line and swallowing hard. Keith had never see Lance so silent in all his time of knowing him outside of when he was stuck on a lyric or song. It was a weird sight to behold, especially when the singer stood and kept his eyes downcast. 

“We should get to the stage,” Lance said with a tone that didn’t match his expression. “Soundcheck is important for a great show.”

Without waiting for anyone to comment, Lance walked out of the room with his notebook in one hand and a guitar in the other. He quite visibly shoved the newcomer, not bothering to spare him a glance. 

“McClain...” the male tried again, but Lance was already turning a corner. Hunk and Pidge both eyed each other as if debating whether to say anything. Hunk stood, walking out of the room with a polite nod in the male’s direction. Pidge, on the other hand, shot him a look and scoffed the moment she was down the hall. 

Moving to stand, Keith wasn’t entirely surprised when he walked by the stranger only to hear him speak. 

“You the new guy?”

Keith stopped in place, turning to look at the male from over his shoulder. “I might be.” 

The male’s lips twitched in a way that Keith couldn’t decipher. “Drummer?”

Wordlessly, Keith lifted up his drumsticks. 

“Heh, didn’t think they’d find someone so quickly. Must be nice.”

Not liking the tense air, Keith turned completely. “Do you have anything to actually say? I’m needed for soundcheck.”

The stranger smiled bitterly. “Ever wonder why they needed a new guy?”

“Yeah. You bailed on them,” Keith said easily, having pieced together the issue once he took a closer look at the stranger. From the white hair to the cold eyes, it would have been stupid of Keith to not recognize him. While the band didn’t make a habit of talking about him because of ‘reasons’ as Hunk told him, he had managed to get some information out of their manager. 

“I didn’t bail,” the white-haired male said, teeth flashing as he attempted to smile through his aggravation. “I was kicked out.”

“And...?” Keith asked with a raised brow. “You seem to be doing well with that band of yours, Lotor,” he pointed out, motioning to the sticks in his hands. “No one is left without food on the table at the end of the day which means no harm done regardless of what happened between you and V-LD.”

“Not even a bit curious about why I was kicked out? How naive of you. You must be new to the industry as a whole,” Lotor said as he crossed his arms. The words didn’t sit well with Keith, but he allowed the male to continue.“Trust me. McClain isn’t worth the time or effort. You should do yourself a favor and get out while you can. He isn’t one to commit...in any form of the word.”

“Well,” Keith began, jaw set at the mention of Lance in such a negative manner. “If they keep me they keep me. If they don’t, well, there are other bands. But I kinda like this one, so I don’t plan on leaving any time soon,” he finished with a tight smile. “Lance is a great frontman, but he isn’t the only member of the band. I doubt you were kicked out on just his word alone.”

Keith stepped forward. “Which means you must have fucked up pretty badly.”

Lotor clenched his fists.  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, new guy. You’ll see that no one can handle him.”

“Lucky me,” Keith responded dryly, voice coming out rougher than intended. “I’m not trying to  _ handle  _ him. I’m trying to make music, which we happen to do well together. So if you would excuse me...”

Turning on his heel, Keith made his way to the stage and did his best to ignore the pair of eyes that were burning a hole into the back of his jacket. Obviously, there was a lot Keith still had to learn outside of the musical aspect that was V-LD. 

The conversation swirled in his mind even when he reached the stage and took his position.  He took a few breaths to calm himself, raising his head to see Lance’s back as the singer adjusted his mic stand and talked with some of the crew. It had become a familiar sight for Keith—so familiar that he could immediately see the tension in the other’s shoulders. Rather than being open, Lance had clammed up which was far from what they needed from their frontman. 

As if on cue, Lance turned. His blue eyes met Keith’s own, glowing in the darkness of their starting stage. 

“Ready?” 

His voice wavered, Keith making no comment. 

Rather than answering the weighted question, Keith just raised his sticks into the air. 

Whether he was ready or not...he had a feeling he was about to be sucked into a wild ride. 

He figured he might as well buckle up. 

  
  
  



End file.
